Frankfurt Motor Show: BMW M8 GTE previews halo road car's looks

Looking at the entire vehicle, we see some production design cues for first time.

It's the racing version of the upcoming BMW M8 road vehicle, giving us several hints as to what it'll look like when it's unveiled at the LA motor show in December.

Under the hood, the BMW M8 GTE features a V8 engine with BMW TwinPower Turbo Technology, which is restricted by regulations to a capacity of 4.0 liter, and has a nominal base output of more than 500 hp, depending on the classification. According to BMW Motorsport director, Jens Marquardt, the race vehicle will directly influence the development of the road auto. The car's competition debut will be the 2018 24 Hours of Daytona next January as part of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, which the M8 will be contesting in addition to WEC.

Although the M8 GTE retains core design elements of the production M8, such as headlights and the roof line, it does feature typical GT race auto elements.

GTE regulations dictate that the cars must be based off production vehicles, so save for the large wings, splitters, and air dams, this is design of the M8 road auto.

The M8's design is centred on the classic long-bonnet coupe silhouette, with enough room up front to mid-mount the twin-turbo V8 unit used in the race auto.

BMW will return to global endurance racing next year for the first time since 2011, when its M3 GT2 raced at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with a full season entry in the FIA World Endurance Championship. Presumably, the aero kit will have to be changed out for something a little subtler, but BMW claims there's a close relationship between the M8 and the M8 GTE.

Ferrari, Ford, Aston Martin, Porsche and Corvette, you have a new challenger: BMW. We can't wait for the M8 GTE to hit the track.

Taking the baton from the M6 GT3, the M8 GTE is BMW's Motorsport's halo vehicle.

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